Agnii, a love letter to Sri Lankan culture, cooking, and community, has arrived on Chapel Street with ethically sourced spices, an expansive wine list, and a homely, welcoming vibe. Gayan Peiris, renowned for his work at Many Little Bar & Dining in Red Hill, now takes his pioneering Sri Lankan cooking to one of Melbourne's most notable dining precincts, shining a light on often-overlooked Sri Lankan dishes and techniques. Already known as one of Australia's leading chefs in contemporary Sri Lankan cuisine, Peiris is pushing the boundaries even further at Agnii. At the heart of the restaurant, which seats 100 guests across its dining room and terrace, is the kussiya, the Sri Lankan kitchen, built around a dara lipa, a clay hearth, over which earthenware pots can simmer, and a poranuwa, an enclosed hearth where Peiris smokes, dries, and roasts his ingredients, imbuing a depth of flavour in his cooking. Diners take a journey through Sri Lanka's regions with dishes that rely heavily on traditional preserving and fermentation techniques, and which strike a fine balance of respecting traditional presentation, expressed through a modernised lens. Roast lamb, served tartare-style, comes with curry sauce and a crisp burnt-hopper tuile. Asmi, a traditional Sri Lankan New Year Sweet, is reinterpreted by Peiris with squid ink, coconut, rice flour, okra, and swordfish. Peiris takes his wine seriously, too, working with Polperro winemaker Sam Coverdale to produce a list of about 150 bottles, with Victorian varieties at its core and small-scale biodynamic producers featured heavily. "We've tasted every bottle. The list is about finding wines that sit beautifully with the food. Nothing too heavy or anything that fights the spice and smoke," says Peiris. Peiris wants Agnii to be more than just a place to eat and move on. On Friday and Saturday nights, the restaurant loosens into a late-night hangout from 10.30pm until 1am, with DJs, flowing drinks, and plates of Sri Lankan street food. "It's not just a restaurant where you sit down and leave," says Peiris. "I want people to eat, drink, listen to music, and stay a little longer. That's part of the hospitality I grew up with." Images: Supplied. Agnii is now open at 105 Chapel Street, Windsor. Bookings are live. Like what you see? Subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter to get stories just like these straight to your inbox.
